NIH State-of-the-Science Conference Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease and Cognitive Decline April 26-28, 2010 Bethesda, MD Register Online (there is no registration fee to attend this conference) Agenda (Monday – Wednesday proceedings) Background Information A conference to evaluate the available scientific information on Alzheimer’s disease and develop a statement that advances understanding of the issue. Health professionals … Continue reading
Filed under Caregiving …
Aging Parents: Medicare Doughnut (Donut) Hole Changes
Check out the March 24, 2010, NY Times for Tara Parker-Pope’s post, How Different Types of People Will Be Affected by the Health Care Overhaul, which also incorporates an amazing interactive graphic enabling people to see what changes will occur to groups of people who fit into various categories — fully insured and employed couple, disabled individual, couples or … Continue reading
Aging Children – Check Out this Blog: Help! Aging Parents
Recently I’ve been reading the blog Help! Aging Parents, so I decided to add it to my blog lists as well as subscribe via RSS to the most recent three posts. I like Susan’s blog mission, sharing thoughts, ideas, and encouraging our own lifelong learning as we support our aging parents. Yesterday’s post, Aging Parents, … Continue reading
Boomers, Aging Parents, Dementia: New Blood Pressure Research
A new NIH research trial, enrolling 7,500 people for at least four years, will try to learn whether lowering blood pressure can help prevent dementia. Some observational epidemiologic data suggest a link between the two. This is a significant question not only for baby boomers who are helping to care for aging parents, but also … Continue reading
Rearranging Life to Help Aging Parents
When an aging child helps to take care of an aging parent, major modifications to daily life become routine for the child and his or her family. Recently I read When Family Calls There is Only One Answer, by Mike Cassidy, published at the San Jose MercuryNews.com, making me think a lot about how my … Continue reading
Medicare Donut (Doughnut) Hole-Health Insurance Coverage/Young Adult Kids
See links to other posts related to Medicare at the end of this posting. Many of us caring for the health of aging parents are simultaneously worrying about our children—young adults trying to enter the job market who have no health insurance coverage. Even before the recession we worried because so many of our young … Continue reading
Aging Parents: Explaining Congestive Heart Failure
Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a common diagnosis for seniors, and many of us will have more than one aging parents with this condition. The diagnosis, indicating a progressive disease, often requires multi-year medial care and can require invasive cardiac procedures, many medications, lifestyle and diet changes, and medical supplies such as compression stockings which … Continue reading
Dementia, Assistive Technology, and the Telephone Search
As Mother’s dementia progressed, her ability to do basic tasks, the activities of daily living, decreased. Using the telephone, a critical communication activity, was increasingly difficult. Thus we were always on the lookout for a phone that required her to do less but enabled her to communicate and hear more. Over time she progressed from the regular … Continue reading
Assisted Living: The Talk with Aging Parents
Recently Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts interviewed Elinor Ginzler, AARP’s Director of Livable Communities. The January 10, 2010 interview focused on tips to help aging children initiate conversations with aging parents, helping their parents think about assisted living options. The conclusion? These discussions need to gently encourage parents to embark on a healthy and safe transition. Scroll down the … Continue reading
Read Jane Brody on the End of a Much-Loved Life
This essay, When the Only Hope is a Peaceful End,written by Jane Brody, describes the last months, last days, and death of her husband, Richard. The piece is in today’s New York Times Personal Health section (March 16, 2010). Take a few moments to read an amazing and loving description of the end-of-life. People who … Continue reading
Moving Aging Parents, Mother’s Move, Part IV: Possessions
A March 12, 2010 New York Times article, Deciding on Care for Elderly Parents in Declining Health, made me think about the process my husband and I experienced with his mother following a stroke. This is the fourth of several postings describing our journey. Read Part I of Moving Mother – Part II – Part III Gently Dismantling 66 Years … Continue reading
Moving Aging Parents, Mother’s Move, Part II: Where?
This March 12, 2010 New York Times article, Deciding on Care for Elderly Parents in Declining Health, made me think about the process my husband and I experienced with his mother following a stroke. This is the second of several posts describing our journey. Read Part I of Mother’s Move Part III Part IV Preparing … Continue reading
Moving Aging Parents, Mother’s Move, Part I: When?
This New York Times article, Deciding on Care for Elderly Parents in Declining Health, made me think about the process my husband and I experienced with his mother following a stroke. This is the first of several postings describing our journey. Read Part II of Moving Mother Series Part III Part IV Why/When We Decided … Continue reading
Aging Parents: Caregiving and Saying Good-bye
Caregiving, especially helping to care for an aging parent who is ill and nearing the end of life, is arduous. One never stops asking questions about “doing the right thing.” Throughout this challenging time an aging child has lot of things to say, memories to review, and good-byes to be arranged for family members near … Continue reading
Aging Parents, Caregiving, and Medicare Physicians
What happens if an aging parents needs or wants to go to a doctor that does not participate in Medicare? This situation has came up for us, and it may also be an issue for others. While most Medicare health claims are submitted by a person’s doctor or health provider, navigating the Medicare highway can … Continue reading
Aging Parents: Asking Questions After a Death
A friend whose mother is seriously ill asked, “What do you think about after your parent is gone, the services are over, and you are moving on with life, but without the person?” My answer? We share memories and we ask questions. The memories are easy, because they come to us. No matter what … Continue reading
Aging Parents and Medication Side Effects
Recently my dad, who takes a number of blood pressure and heart medications, began to experience nosebleeds –they seemed to begin out of the blue. Family members and friends kept offering explanations for why the nosebleeds were occurring. Twice, when he had difficulty stopping the bleeding, Dad went to the emergency room at the local … Continue reading
Hospital Stays, Seniors, and the Possibility of Dementia
…or Disorientation We have taken parents to the hospital and discovered that the hospitalization process seems to facilitate disorientation. We have also observed incidental dementia. In essence, a frightened aging parents is sick, frightened, and disoriented and loses touch with reality. One of our parents, who was already experiencing some dementia but was living securely … Continue reading
NIH Senior Net – A Senior Friendly Site
…and Tips for Making a Website Senior Friendly Take a few minutes to visit this NIH Senior Health site. Bring an aging parent along. Notice the great care that has been taken to make the site easy-to-read with large type and navigation links that are clear and uncluttered. This site is full of information on … Continue reading
Baby Boomers, Aging Parents, Caregiving Observations
About a month ago we attended an out-of-town gathering with fifteen or sixteen friends plus spouses, all in the 50’s – 60’s age group. Every single person we met that evening had at least one aging parent who needed caregiving and support. The variety of caregiving arrangements was interesting, and after a long evening of … Continue reading
As Our Parents Age So Do We 